the_treatyfandomcom-20200214-history
Gary Hart
Gary Hart is a protagonist in The Treaty and one of the Final Five. He serves as a voice of doubt and worry amongst the leadership panel. Backstory 2028 Gary Hart is an Australian volcanologist working in New Zealand. He joins a summer program on Antarctica to study Mt Erebus, and is initially added to Simon Anderson's team, amongst which is Rodney McKinnon, whom Hart gets along with well. He meets Ivan Ivanovich, whose climate change literature he deeply admires. When discussing climate change, Ivanovich brings up a hypothetical point that if nuclear energy were allowed on Antarctica, global warming could be solved tomorrow. Hart talks about geothermal energy as an equivalent, which leaves a significant impact on Ivanovich's memory. 2032 Hart is requested to return to Antarctica to serve as a consulting volcanologist on a project being run by Ivanovich (now Hawk, and smothered in burns). The previous man fled suddenly, and Hart was the best last-second replacement they could think of. He joins the McMurdo team to monitor Mt Erebus for any violent changes that may occur while the team uses dynamite nearby. He is given little information on the project, and barred from talking about it to other scientists or even his family, to the point where he becomes suspicious. Hart accidentally comes across Hawk's blueprints of the mashina. Concerned, he emails them to McKinnon in hopes of an assessment from someone who knows more physics. McKinnon warns Hart to get out of there asap, but before he could share more information, McKinnon is found dead as a result of methanol poisoning. Hawk interrogates the whole team about the leaked plans, but Hart does not confess. Gary Hart is Lawful Good. 2033 Hart is planning to leave Antarctica on the next flight out of Scott; he cannot stand the secrecy and the guilt of getting a man killed. He video-chats with his family on his birthday, while attempting to not look a nervous wreck, only to be shocked to find his wife Catherine and his son Benjamin had been ferried from Melbourne to Commonwealth Bay see him in person (expecting to arrive at Scott the next day). Hart does not like this arrangement, but they claim it's only for a few days before Porter's ship takes them home again. Unfortunately, the bombings occur before Hart's family reaches him. He snatches a radio before diving into the ice bunker with Hawk and the others, desperately hoping it would keep him and Catherine in touch. They lose contact for over a month, but when Hart sees them both again, alive and well, he is ecstatic. 2034 Unfortunately, Catherine dies of the flu the following season, leaving Hart and his son alone on the island. Hart fails to establish a strong bond with Ben, and grows increasingly concerned for his son's mental state thereon. Hart is also the only witness of Joseph Philippe's death, having seen Marco nearest to the accident site. This, too, he keeps to himself in fear of the boy being severely punished. He holds onto his shame and his guilt and suffers in silence. In the book (2035) Hart is a fatherly figure within the Treaty with ongoing concerns for his son, whose psychological behavior has resulted in rumors of him being psychic. Hart is not happy with this attention Ben gets and often keeps him locked up in Nana's 'safe room' in her clinic, restricting his friends from seeing him. With news of Captain Porter's imminent arrival, Ben begins to show positive signs, and Hart lets him join him on the pier when the ship comes in. Unfortunately, this also results in Ben witnessing Porter's suicide, after muttering to him his final ominous words. Hart's duties are divided between leading the Treaty and monitoring his son, whose condition steadily worsens after Porter's death. Hart is in charge of basic supplies and serves on the Final Five panel who discuss what do when with the oncoming enemy forces. He is consistently the voice of mercy that counters Hawk's harsh suggestions. When Simon Anderson is brought into the Treaty, Hart finally confesses that he was the leak of the ''mashina's ''blueprints and likely the cause of McKinnon's death. Hawk is outraged, and is forced to go on a treacherous mission to Vostok to destroy the evidence that wound up there. When Ben argues with Marco and reveals him as Joseph Philippe's killer, Hart and Marco team-up to do what they believe is right and go rescue Hawk from Vostok. Unfortunately, this results in them both being captured by Rodion and tortured for the location of the Treaty. Hart witnesses what he believes is Marco's execution by firing squad, only to learn later was faked. Hart and Marco are reunited as prisoners and taken with the Federation towards the Treaty. They are both used as human shields for Rodion. When Hawk denounces Hart as a traitor, Rodion executes him in front of everyone. In the end, Hart is given an ice burial alongside Catherine. Ben is safely evacuated in Marco's arms with the Coalition.